[QUOTE=kdow;6508495]
Hoarding as a psychiatric disorder is like any other disorder - there are specific diagnostic criteria. Never dusting and letting the dishes pile up because you’re lazy is not going to get you a diagnosis of hoarding.
Stuff like having animal poo on the floor and not cleaned up is actually specifically mentioned as one of the stages. (Although not the worst, amazingly enough.) I mean, if you look at those photos, it’s not like the dog just had a housebreaking accident and someone snapped a photo while someone else was going for the paper towels and the Nature’s Miracle - that’s stuff that’s been sitting there for some time.
ETA: I don’t breed, I don’t plan on buying a baby, and I don’t do hunters, so I have nothing in it to defend GFF. Honestly based on everything it sounds like, regardless of the state of the house (excepting the stallion area which is relevant to the business), there’s plenty going on that this person should be getting in serious trouble for and it’s ridiculous she’s just skating along.
My intention in commenting is only to make the point that things like hoarding can be legitimate medical/psychiatric problems. Our social approach to mental health is pathetic and part of it is because so many people do dismiss real problems as ‘just laziness’ or ‘you’re just a bit down’ and it’s just not that simple. If we get better at recognizing that there can be real health issues here, then maybe more people will get the proper help they need and we won’t see so many problems associated with untreated mental health issues, like animal hoarding gone unchecked.
(Note also: Having a mental illness like hoarding is not an automatic excuse that means you don’t have to deal with the problems you’ve made. It is an explanation for how the situation came to be and how you may not be able to deal with things in the way someone else would, but you still need to get help and figure out how to deal. Explanation is not the same as excuse. Likewise, having a mental illness like hoarding does not automatically mean that were it not for the mental illness, the individual would be all hearts and smiles and unicorn poo - I’m quite sure it’s possible to have hoarding problems and be a genuinely nice person, but just as possible to have hoarding problems and be the kind of person who lies and manipulates people without a second thought.)[/QUOTE]
I agree with you. However…this whole topic hits a nerve.
Psychiatric problems don’t exist in America. Or that’s what a vast number of Americans would have people believe…until someone goes on a shooting spree or lives with 50 cats and piles of sh!t…but then we blame gun control or animal control for not doing their part.
ETA: There’s also the stigma attached to asking for help that inhibits a lot of people as well. Asking for help is not a weakness or some kind of defect.
I think it’s funny we as a society can accept animals as mentally “damaged goods,” but we can’t even come close to accepting that some people need help. It’s heartbreaking.
That’s not to say that she hasn’t done wrong or that she isn’t at all responsible. In all likelihood though, she may not believe she’s been doing things wrong because she needs LOTS of mental help. I wonder how many of you have ever personally dealt with a untreated sociopath? Or someone with an untreated full blown personality disorder? You would know that their reality isn’t even close to the real version of events because it isn’t the way their brain is wired. They. Need. Help. It isn’t a joke. Oh, and they can function quite well out in society. They can be very charming (and manipulative) when they need it.
I apologize for ranting…back on topic…
She should be out of business until her life gets turned around, but dismissing the root of the problem will never fix anything. I hope her family tries to get her some help. She could really use it.